


the slow reveal of what another needs

by Gigglepud



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Background Amagi Yukiko/Satonaka Chie, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Misunderstandings, dumb dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:26:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23983042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gigglepud/pseuds/Gigglepud
Summary: Yu’s been acting a little weird recently. Just a little; no big deal.Sure, he’s all but stopped inviting Yosuke over to his house, but Yosuke’s sure there’s a good reason for it.So Yosuke’s totally not freaking out. Nope, not at all!
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu
Comments: 4
Kudos: 92





	the slow reveal of what another needs

The thing is – it took Yosuke weeks to notice.

He and Yu have been going steady for three months, after at least double that amount of time wasted on the delicate dance steps of equal parts pining and flirting . As far as Yosuke is concerned , everything is great! He sees Yu almost every day, and every time they meet, it still sends a spark straight to his heart. Just thinking about Yu gets a dopey grin on his face. His life is perfect in every way that matters and he loves it.

Or at least, it should be.

It takes a failed robbery at Junes for Yosuke to figure it out. He’s lurking by the scene as his father recounts the situation to the police when Dojima spots him. Dojima breaks into a grin, slapping his notebook shut as he waves for Yosuke to come over.

“Is something the matter?” Yosuke glances at the arrested robber.

Dojima waves a hand, “No, everything’s all good. Just haven’t seen my favourite nephew’s boyfriend in a while, you know? How have you been?” “I’ve been great!” Yosuke ducks his head, scratching at the back of it. “We’ve been busy, I guess.”

It’s only after Dojima has left, the store left quiet and empty but for the mess of tapes and dislodged displays left for Yosuke to clean up, that a chill suddenly spikes Yosuke’s spine . When exactly was the last time he’d been by Yu’s place? And though he remembers fond afternoons with Yu and Nanako from the early days of their relationship, somewhere along the way, those visits had petered out . The next time he sees Yu, he tries to bring it up.

“Hey, why don’t we ever go to your place, anymore?”

Yu shoots a surprised glance at Yosuke.

“What? Oh, it’s a bit of a mess,” he says with a laughs.

“You know I don’t care about that. I don’t see how it’s possible to be messier than my place,” Yosuke retorts.

“Well I still think there are better places to hang out,” Yu insists.

“Oh.”

Yosuke lets Yu change the subject, but the nagging thought stays, like a stain on a white shirt that won’t completely fade . Yosuke tries not to overthink it. It’s not completely implausible that Yu might be embarrassed about his room’s mess, though Yosuke remembers the meticulous neatness the last time he’d been there . But there could also be other reasons, right? Reasons that have nothing to do with Yosuke at all.

Nevertheless , Yosuke’s attempts range from subtle hints to explicit requests to visit Yu’s house . Not even to his room; just the living room! Or just to see Nanako! or something!

But Yu manages to shut it down every time.

Sometimes, Yu’s segues are so subtle Yosuke doesn’t even realise what Yu’s done until ten minutes later and they’re somehow comparing the similarities between King Moron and donkeys . Even when Yosuke walks Yu home, he’ll never make it past the threshold of the front door. Yu is never forthright in his rejections, but he’s extra subtle and Yosuke doesn’t realise he’s promising to leave until the words are already out of his mouth . “Is that normal?” Yosuke demands, a week later when he’s at Yukiko’s place.

Chie lifts her head from Yukiko’s lap, gestures at herself then the room at large. Her voice is dripping with sarcasm as she retorts, “What do you think?” Yosuke raises an eyebrow at the two of them. Yukiko seated on her bed as Yosuke has seized the couch. Chie lies lengthwise on the bed, using Yukiko’s thighs as a pillow while Yukiko’s finger tangles in Chie’s hair.

“That’s different,” Yosuke pouts. “You two are generally disgusting anyway!”

Chie snorts, “Who’s speaking? You’re just as gross when you’re with Yu. Would it destroy you to let go of each other for a single second?” Yosuke cackles. It turns out the four of them can be extremely competitive when it comes to comparing their relationships . But the humour dissipates when he remembers the problem at hand.

“Okay, but then why won’t he let me in his house anymore? I mean, it’s not like I want to intrude, but what does he have to hide? Is he keeping some huge secret from me?” “If he is, then you should respect that,” Yukiko is soft but firm in both tone and gaze. “He’ll open up when he’s ready.” “And talk to him,” Chie adds. “Have you actually sat down and asked him about this?”

“You guys are about to watch the break down of a relationship,” Yosuke wails, but he doesn’t contest their advice.

Chie finally decides to do her job as a best friend a few days later, when the four of them linger after class.

“Hey, Yu,” She wraps an arm around his shoulder and pulls him close. “Can we go visit Nanako? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Yu looks thoughtful for a moment, and Yosuke is ready to cut in with an alternative suggestion, before Yu nods .

“That would be good,” Yu smiles. “She’d like that.”

Yosuke tries not to gape too obviously. When he shoots a confused glance towards Chie, she raises an eyebrow in turn.

“Alright then,” Yukiko claps her hands together, drawing the three’s attention to her. “Let’s go.”

Yosuke staunchly averts Chie’s eyes the rest of the way to Yu’s house. He tries his best to keep the conversation going, but he can’t help the pout that surfaces whenever Yu isn’t looking.

It’s easier to forget his turmoil once he arrives: when Nanako all but bounces to the door. He grins and squats down to meet her at eye-level, enveloping her into a hug.

“Long time no see!” Nanako squeals. “Are you all here to play?”

“Yeah! We’re here for whatever you want to do!” Yosuke responds with a grin. He glances up to Yu, but instead of the matching grin he expects, he catches a glimpse of a frown before it’s quickly forced away . “You alright?” He murmurs when he gets up.

“Yeah,” Yu says with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Come on, let's go into the living room.”

A while later, Yukiko suggests something about fabrics for a new dress, and before Yosuke even realises Chie is ushering Nanako towards the door . When Yu attempts to follow, Chie stops him with her hand out in front of his face.

“Girls only, sorry!” She announces, though she did not sound sorry at all.

Any confusion on Yosuke’s part clears up when Yukiko has led Nanako out the door, and Chie turns back with a sudden glare . “Meanwhile, you two, talk.”

Yet, when the door slams shut a second later, it only leaves the room drowning in silence. Yosuke darts a glance towards Yu, whose brows are creased as he frowns towards the door.

“So…” Yosuke attempts, only to trail off as soon as Yu looks his way.

Yu waits a few beats, the silence-induced awkwardness manifesting like a disease. “Well, I bought that new comic we were talking about last week. It’s in my room, do you want to come see?” Yosuke rubs a hand roughly across his face. It was the perfect opening, but…

“ Maybe later. I think , we probably should listen to Chie, first.”

Yu nods, his expression sobering up as he shifts to sit more comfortably in his seat. Yosuke’s heart sinks; he’d hoped, just a little, that Yu would be confused – then at least there would be a higher chance this whole thing is just a figment of Yosuke’s paranoid imagination . But it seems they’re on the same page, and that might as well be an explicit confirmation that there’s a problem.

Yet, Yosuke doesn’t know how to begin, and Yu doesn’t seem inclined to start, either. It shouldn’t be like this, the two of them sitting across each other, separated by the table. It’s almost like they were strangers again.

“Well?” Yu prompts, when the silence drags on for too long.

Yosuke takes a deep breath. “Why are you keeping me away from here? What have you got to hide that you never invite me to your house anymore?” It only takes a moment before recognition dawns on Yu. He buries his face into his hand. “It’s stupid,” he mumbles into them.

Yosuke stares, his heart racing. “What do you mean?” he asks slowly , because if Yu is talking about their relationship, he’s not sure how he’s going to handle it.

But Yu only shakes his head with a groan. “It’s- urgh. It’s just stupid!” He looks back up at Yosuke with a self-deprecating smile. “I’m sorry, you’ve been worrying about this for ages, haven’t you? That’s why Chie got involved too. It wasn’t supposed to become a big deal, it’s just - well…”Yu looks away.

“Well what?” Yosuke tries to be patient, but this moment is the culmination of weeks of tension and he can only control his anticipation for so long . Yu shrinks into himself, “Look, whenever you come over, you always end up spending all your time with Nanako. And, that’s great, it’s fine, I love that you get along with her so well, but it also means we never seem to get any time alone. And sometimes, well, that gets frustrating, you know?” Yosuke stares.

Yu stares at the floor, “I know, this is so bad.”

It takes a while for Yosuke to process all of this, but when he does, he’s slamming his hands onto the table as he leans forwards, “No ! It’s not bad. This is, like, the best news I’ve heard all week.” Because it’s true, this could have gone in so many horrible directions.

“ Really ?” Yu raises a bow.

“Hey, don’t act all high and mighty. You’re totally right that this is so stupid,” Yosuke laughs, and it’s a genuine grin on his face as he feels lighter than he has for a long while . “I can’t believe you got jealous.” “It’s not jealousy!” Yu tries to protest, but Yosuke only laughs harder.

“You’re an idiot,” Yosuke retorts good-naturedly . He’s probably an idiot too, but no way he’s going to actually admit that. “I can’t believe you made me worry for nothing.” The next Sunday, Yosuke arrives at Yu’s house extra early. As expected, Yu isn’t up yet, though Nanako is peppered with youthful energy.

He’s enthusiastic as ever as he hugs her, then leads her to the kitchen. “Help me cook?”

The make fried rice together, taking their time as Nanako catches Yosuke up with all that’s been going on with her.

But when they’re done, Yosuke nods satisfactorily at the prepared dishes, then turns solemnly to Nanako .

“Hey, are you going to forgive me if I steal Yu for the day? I’ve got a full day of plans to prove myself a worthy boyfriend.” Nanako grins and claps her hand, “Of course! I hope you guys have a great time!”

Yosuke grins, and they fist bump before he carries two servings upstairs. They’re going to have such a great day that Yu won’t ever want him to leave.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I haven't written anything recently. So I pulled out something I wrote about a year or two ago from tumblr and polished that instead c:  
> Hope you guys enjoyed! 
> 
> Title from 'It takes a lot to know a man', by Damien Rice


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